Kayak Tours of Scotland

The Orchard Bar & Restaurant

Saturday night saw a group of five of us looking for some simple but good pub grub and when The Orchard was suggested I was quite happy to go along with the idea having eaten there once previously.

The service was faultless, with the bar man who waited our table being incredibly patient with our indecision about what to order and mind changing – I’m not sure I would have been so indulgent.

So, on to the food. I ordered a main course of mussels in a white wine sauce, which was delicate enough to allow the flavour of the mussels to shine whilst been tasty enough to request a spoon to finish the sauce.

My dining partners had fish and chips, twice cooked goat’s cheese soufflé and monkfish with risotto. Unfortunately I wasn’t with food sharers so can only pass on others’ comments. The cheese soufflé was tasty but not overpoweringly cheesy and the monkfish with risotto was pronounced a hit, although the monkfish was slightly overcooked. There’s no comment on the fish and chips – the two men who ordered it only see food as fuel and wouldn’t have any opinion other than whether there was enough to eat or not.

I ordered a chocolate mousse with cherries in kirsch for dessert. This was served in a brandy glass, which I found pretty odd, but the mousse was rich in chocolate flavours and the cherries were to die for. The only other dessert ordered was sticky toffee pudding – another winner.

The boys ordered cheese, which was a good sized platter and they were therefore very happy.

The overall price for five of us, including three bottles of wine and coffees, was around £150 – very good value for a night out!